RTÉ releases schedule for 2025 including Dancing with the Stars and GAA action

Kenneth Fox

RTÉ has released its new schedule for 2025 with the return of Dancing with the Stars, the Tommy Tiernan show and plenty of live sport throughout the year.

Weekend entertainment starts as always on Friday nights: Patrick Kielty rang in the new year for the nation with a star-studded guest line up and will continue that trend with The Late Late Show every Friday night starting with the celebration of Tradfest.

Expect a fantastic blend of traditional tunes and songs by a hand-picked group of Ireland's finest musicians including Sean Keane, Aoife Scott and Mike Hanrahan.

There's an all-new Irish line-up on Saturday nights, which becomes the new destination for Ireland's Fittest Family followed by a new season of The Young Offenders.

The Tommy Tiernan Show then returns with a new series of his show, where guests from all walks of life open up about their personal life and career experiences.

Dancing with the Stars returns on Sunday nights for its 8th season. This year, dancer Karen Byrne has set aside her glitterball and replaces it with a judging paddle as she takes her seat as the 4th judge.

There are a host of new Irish celebrities putting on their dancing shoes and sequins and competing to lift that famous glitterball.

Dermot Bannon is back on Sunday nights for a new season of Room to Improve.

Four families from across Ireland have chosen Dermot as the architect for their new feature build with everyone challenged to keep within budget as he tries to turn each house into a dream home.

Architect Hugh Wallace then takes up the design baton with Great House Revival, as he follows homeowners across Ireland as they attempt to restore and transform their derelict heritage properties into comfortable homes fit for modern day living.

The search for Ireland’s Home of the Year takes place once again. The judges will visit some exceptionally beautiful homes across the country, allowing us all to sneak a peek inside.

There's also quality Irish programming throughout the week.

Monday nights will feature brand-new gripping documentaries, with subjects including former solicitor Michael Lynn, who went on the run when faced with multi-million-euro fraud allegations, leading to a decade-long Garda mission for him to face justice on Irish soil. There is also a two-part series that charts the rise of Gerard Hutch, known as The Monk, from small-time inner-city criminal to major gangland figure.

High Road, Low Road returns with a cast of unusual and sometimes mismatched celebrity couples heading off to a set of holiday destinations for unforgettable adventures of discovery, culture and fun.

Thursday nights on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player will feature a combination of comedy with a little touch of love at first sight.

The second series of No Worries if Not! will see more unique comedy sketches with some of the biggest stars of Irish online comedy coming together to write and deliver one-liners like no other.

Next, we're off to the First Dates restaurant to catch up with teenage romantics, flirty thirties and seductive seniors; this year the series features people of all ages from student freshers to fresh-faced septuagenarians.

Live sport

The new year will also feature a jam-packed new and live sports schedule as Champions League returns earlier than usual with the new season commencing on Wednesday nights in early January.

URC, Investec Champions Cup and Six Nations will capture the attention of all rugby fans with prominent fixtures that promise to have you on the edge of your seat, while the Allianz GAA league with all the new GAA rules will also be up and running.

Racing will be live from Leopardstown and the League of Ireland will be in full action on Friday nights, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.

There's a host of new Irish language programming on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Fóram, RTÉ's new weekly current affairs, presented by journalist Caoimhe Ní Laighin, will discuss the political stories of the week, as well as stories from around the country.

Returning to RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player is Other Voices, the much-loved winter music festival that has welcomed some of the world’s most eclectic music-makers and captured on film scores of unique, one-off live performances.

RTÉ will also provide a diverse slate of quality Irish content for Ireland’s youngest audiences from original Irish animation, live action and educational content.

2FM Rising has launched its artists for 2025, including Amble, Annie-Dog, BOLD LOVE, CamrinWatsin, Celaviedmai, Cliffords, ESSIRAY, F3miii, Fortúne Igiebor and Pastiche. They will all be championed by 2FM throughout the coming year, focusing particularly on acts unveiling new music and interviews.